


Widening Circles

by Qem



Category: Natsume Yuujinchou | Natsume's Book of Friends
Genre: Friendship, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-28
Updated: 2014-12-28
Packaged: 2018-03-03 23:41:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 706
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2892410
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Qem/pseuds/Qem
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Just some small moments of friendship.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Widening Circles

**Author's Note:**

  * For [paperwar](https://archiveofourown.org/users/paperwar/gifts).



> <3 not much, but wanted to try and send a treat your way before the end of the year.

"Hmmm. What do you think?" Tanuma asked, as he tilted the glasses down slightly to peer over the frames at Natsume. He'd found by accident earlier that week, he was slightly short sighted in one eye and his dad insisted that he buy a set of glasses, even though he couldn't detect the difference with both eyes open.

"They look good." Natsume replies softly with one of his usual faint smiles.

"I guess I'll get this pair then." Tanuma doesn't have the heart to tell his dad, that he doubts the new glasses will help with reducing the headaches he gets. Though truthfully, he suspects his father feels the same way. But there is a mild discrepancy with his vision and it's not like wearing glasses is going to be a great hardship. He pays at the counter and then watches briefly as the optomistrist then goes to take the glasses out the back to switch out the lenses to match his prescription, before turning around.

"Thanks for coming with me Natsume, I appreciate it." He says leaning against the counter as they wait.  
"It was no problem. Nyanko-sensei was glad for the opportunity to pick up a rice-cake from one of the nearby stores."

* * *

Coming home from the first day of wearing glasses, Tanuma has found that his headache has grown larger. He keeps wondering about what he's seeing - are those trees a deeper richer green, because his left eye is now focusing? Or is it just the sheen from the glass reflecting. Is it helping him focus on youkai as well and that's why he keeps seeing shadows dart just outside his point of focus or is it his imagination?

It's not until he returns home until he makes up his mind - there's a beautiful shimmering pond that looks more like a mirage than reality that greets him by the side of his eyes, with a red fish circling round.

It's beautiful how it shimmers like a dream. It's fainter when he looks at it directly, and fainter again when he takes the glasses off - but now that he knows what he's looking for, he can see it's shape overlaying the solid ground he's walked over many times.

It feels a little closer to what Natsume sees.

* * *

He tells Taki about it later. He's not sure how to bring up with Natsume whose still rather awkward about whether he might be drawing Tanuma deeper into the world of ayakashi. But Natsume seems to like the pond and has said it's safe before, so it's easy enough to share with Taki who's like Tanuma. Both of them are slightly involved and wish that they could know more.

 

"I wonder if it would be possible to draw one of my circles, so that it would be possible for me to see it too?" She wonders - it sounds beautiful to look at.  
"Hmm. Let's try it?"

* * *

Taki's clearly memorized the design well, and she draws it determinedly using the markers that Tanuma's set down as a guideline for the size. As she completes the final marking, both she and Tanuma wait with baited breath - only to find that the pond is no clearer for Tanuma and Taki still can't see it at all.

"I guess it requires the ayakashi to step into the circle?" Taki theorizes and Tanuma nods in disappointed agreement.

Then there's a clear shimmer as a fish rises to the surface of the pond, and Taki shouts in delighted surprise. There's a fish flickers briefly above the ground before sinking underneath. They both grin at each other in delight.

* * *

It turns into a bit of a game, the self-study sessions they do once a month, where they trade information and decide whether the information found from a reverse image search is bullshit or not. They're both careful to not draw attention to themselves - they both know how unpleasant youkai can be. Not to mention neither of them are particularly keen to be mistaken as a couple. But, it's a relief to know that there's someone else in a similar position, and just maybe with the little bit of knowledge they can collect they'll be able to help someone else in the future. Just maybe.


End file.
